


Another Side To Me

by ZeroSenseOfJustice



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-27
Updated: 2012-06-27
Packaged: 2017-11-08 16:55:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/445411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroSenseOfJustice/pseuds/ZeroSenseOfJustice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's always been a line drawn between what's right and what's wrong, who's good and who's bad. But for Tony Stark, the lines a blurring. An odd meating with the local God of Mischief turns everything upside down for him, and he finds himself proctedcting the very person he was out to capture.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tony’s lab door opened and Pepper walked in, holding a dark colored animal in her arms. She made her way over to where her boss was standing over his work table as usual and Tony notices what she’s carrying, first the stack of papers then the furry thing. It was completely black with no white markings and it has deep emerald green eyes.

“Tony, look.. I found this little guy outside the house… He is so cute!”

Pepper just cuddles her face into the cats fur,

“We should keep him.”

Tony looked at the cat closely,

‘Oh shit…why me?’ he thought. He knew a cat could get into his equipment, chew on wires, and scratch and piss on the furniture. Plus cats were temperamental little buggers…

“Eh….”

Pepper just gave him a look and he caved. Pepper set the cat and a pile of papers down and left Tony to his work. The cat walks across the work space and jumps up onto the table in front of Tony, scattering the pile of papers Pepper had neatly stacked. It walked over them, flicking it’s tail across Tony’s nose before settling itself in the mass of papers, watching Tony closely reminding him of something, or someone by the way that he is watching him.

“Hey!” Tony exclaimed, trying to gather up his papers. The cat simply kept getting in his way so his picked him (well he assumed it was a guy) and held him against his chest.

“You really like attention don’t you…. Just like someone else I know.”looking down he continued “I need a name for you.”

The cat makes a ‘purr’ type of sound as Tony pets him and mainly gives him attention. Despite his earlier grumblings about cats Tony was rather enjoying the company. It gets a bit lonely way up in Stark towers now that he and Pepper were no longer together. Yes, she still worked for him but they were most definitely not together. She hadn’t been able to deal with some of the downsides to dating a ‘superhero’. Like for instance, Tony more often then not coming home beat up, with broken armor and worse for wear but still ready to drag himself down to his shop with a pot of coffee to repair his once again, damaged suit. Shaking his head Tony kept petting his new housemate, until the cat jumps down on to the floor and walks away from Tony.

The cat just seems to completely vanish from the room, until there is a odd sound and hands are just placed on Tony’s shoulders gripping them tight. Tony turns to look at who is now gripping his shoulders, Loki is standing behind him with a smirk.

“Thanks so much for the attention, Tony.” Loki says with a smirk looking down at Tony. “It felt nice..”

Tony stared in shock at the god before him, attempting to hide his discomfort. He watched Loki closely, this was not a good situation to be in. Firstly, it was just his shitty luck that Pepper had dragged Cat-Loki into his home, but the fact that he had sat there and petted the bastard bothered him. The second problem; his suit was no where ready to go into battle again, especially not if he was fighting Loki. He figured he might as well here the bastard out.

“Well now that your clearly comfortable, how about that drink I promised you?” Tony asked.

Loki laughs and removes his hands from Tony’s shoulders and makes his way around Tony.

“You look surprised… Never the less I will have to pass on that drink again.”

He looks pretty proud of himself that he was able to surprise Tony. ‘Not that it had been too hard..’ Loki thought.

No, the challenge had been getting passed that damnable computer that controlled most everything in the geniuses home. including the security functions and scanners that could trace his magic’s signature.

Frowning Tony turns back to his work table, attempting to ignore Loki, if only to give himself some time to think. He really had no idea why Loki would show up here. Loki had broken out of SHIELD’s holding cell a day before Thor was going to drag his sorry ass back home to Asgard. That had been over three months ago, and not a peep had been heard from the god of mischief and now of all times he decided to show his face? And in Tony’s house none the less…

“What’s wrong, Tony? It would seem that I have the upper hand here.”

Loki laughs again and then he stumbles slightly on his feet, and leans against Tony’s table holding his side, trying not to draw attention to his slight stumble.

Tony frowned down at the parts of his suit spread across the table, completely missing the gods loss of balance.

“For now you do. Between you and me though, I’m quite good at finding loopholes. Now, why do you always pass on drinking with me? I’m offended…”

Loki has his eyes closed leaning against the table as he listens to Stark prattle on about various drinks he has, still trying to goad Loki into drinking with him and then he opens his eyes and drops a glare on Tony.

“I think not…” was his simple reply. He is still holding his side, trying to stand up straight without drawing Stark’s attention away from his work. Sadly that didn’t pan out, just as he rights himself with a grimace Toy looks up.

Taking in the gods expression and the hand pressed firmly against his side, Tony turns fully to face the god.

“What the hell happened?” he asked leaning over slightly to attempt to see Loki’s side.

“Nothing happened, I didn’t come here to be coddled like an infant Stark. It’s nothing I can not handle!” Loki snaps, glaring icily at Tony.

“Right. Now why are you hear exactly?”

Sighing Loki adjusts his position and says;

“I find myself in need of something… I must travel to Asgard once more. That cursed old man is watching the pathways closely, blocking my entrance… I must access the one inside of SHIELD.”

Tony’s eyebrows rose in both surprise and confusion.

“Your point? The only way I’ll be taking you there is in chains.”

Loki rolls his eyes,

“Remember who you are talking to, do not talk as if it’s an easy task to apprehend me! All I ask is you keep out of my way.”

“I’m sure. Now, care to share why you would rather warn us to keep away then fight us? Or are you hurt too bad to think of taking us on?” Tony said, well aware he was pushing the gods proverbial buttons.

With his free hand Loki reaches out quickly, grabbing the front of Tony’s shirt and drags him in close. His eyes like ice he speaks low, clearly and with obvious threat.

“Listen closely you pathetic mortal, I am a god. I have seen far greater things than your simple life can dream of. Do not think me for a moment weak enough to seek you out for aid. I seek no ones help! Not yours, not my wretched brothers, no, not anyone’s!”

Grabbing a hold of Loki’s arm Tony snaps;

“Then why are you hear?! Just to screw with me? Find someone else to bother! Go piss off your brother or something. You came here, interrupted my work, messed my papers up to hell, insulted me and then proceeded to demand I help you by keeping myself and the other Avengers out of your way!”

Tony was posed off. Loki had a way of getting under his skin and tying his nerves into knots. Loki shoved himself away from Tony, moving slowly across the room. Whatever was wrong with him was preventing him from moving too much.

“Why the hell didn’t that hurt you before?” Tony asked, still pissed off. He gestured to Loki’s side vaguely, remembering Cat-Loki. He had seemed fine then. Tony narrowed his eyes, looking Loki over. It was probably another one of his tricks…

“Get out. Or your gonna find yourself with an angry thunder god on your ass.” He growled.

Loki froze. Looking searchingly into Tony’s face, clearly what he was looking for wasn’t there as he turned away from the billionaire. Back strait and head held high Loki crossed the room before slowly vanishing from sight.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes sir?”

“I want all available information on one Loki Laufeyson transferred to my tablet. It’s about time I read what Thor told SHIELD…”

“Yes Sir. Transfer will begin immediately.” the robot replied.

*~*~*~*

A few hours later found Tony Stark sitting wide awake, scanning through the documents on his tablet.

‘Brought up as an Asgardian, Loki Laufeyson was truly not in any relation to his brother Thor. Odin during one of his many campaigns against the Asier’s enemies, the Frost Giants or Jotuns, he came across a infant Jotun. This child was taken in, raised as Odin’s own son alongside Thor, his true son-‘

Tony set down his tablet. Next to the article was an image of Loki, the difference in this however was his skin was a deep rich, enchanting blue. And his eyes normally the color of emeralds had turned red as a ruby.

Tony didn’t know what to think. This was his second time going over the file… In some ways he could see how Loki had come to hate Thor. Just as he himself had lives underneath his fathers shadow, never capable of impressing said man, Loki was forever overshadowed by his golden brother, even from a young age.

‘Not only that…’ Stark reminded himself, glancing once more at the picture of Loki. Loki had forever been on the outside, never understanding why he wasn’t seen to be as good or greater than his brother. It had nothing to do with his skills or talent, but his blood, his secret heritage kept hidden away for who knows how many years.

‘and then to find out… That all those years… Where lies…’ Tony thought to himself.

He shook his head. Why was he sitting here at, glancing over at his digital clock, 3:18 am, going through Loki’s file? Why was he so interested in Loki’s past? Did it matter? Did it excuse what he had done? No, no it didn’t. There was a line, hero and villain and Tony wasn’t suppose to cross it.

“Sir…?” Jarvis pipped up suddenly, causing Tony to jump.

“Shit! Jarvis, what is it?”

“Sorry sir but I’ve detected an energy signature a few miles from here…”

Tony had recently added to Jarvis’s scanners, they could reach farther and if they had encountered a specific energy signature before, was able to tell who it was, where they were, and if they were friend or foe. It had originally been designed to alert Tony when his friend the thunder god was in the area so he could brace himself for a bone-crushing hug and put out the good alcohol. It did come in handy for other things, like keeping tabs of wayward gods of mischief. Since Loki’s little visit Jarvis now had his signature programmed into his scanners.

“Let me guess Jarvis, it’s not Thor.”

“No Sir, it would appear that this signature, although rather week belongs to one, Loki Laufeyson.”

“Very well Jarvis, get my back up suit into the assembly machine and I’ll suit up.” Tony said, dragging himself out of bed.

“One more thing Sir…?”

“Not now Jarvis, when I get back.”

“But Sir it-“

“Has to be said right now?”

“Yes.”

“Go on.”

“Sir it seems that the energy belonging to Loki Laufeyson is as I said rather week and diminishing quickly.”

Tony stood frozen for a moment. Processing this information. What could have caused-

His side. Loki’s side had been hurt, or well Tony had assumed he was faking but now-

“Oh hell…” He muttered. Loki had been here not three hours ago, pale and shaky but none the less alive. Now he was probably holed up somewhere damning his brother to hell ( and maybe Tony along with him.) and dying.

Well damn it all if that didn’t sting a bit. Tony cursed again. Unsure of what to do. Loki was his enemy, if he died then things would be relatively peaceful, he could go back to his work at Stark Industries and not having to worry about having to suit up all the time. He wouldn’t have to be constantly repairing his suit either. That thought alone almost sent Tony rocketing back into bed and under his expensive sheets but… Casting a glance at his tablet, and at the picture on the screen… He couldn’t sit here and let someone die. If the tabloids were going to label him as a superhero then he may as well live up to the reputation once in a while, and so even if Loki was a ‘villain’ he would go save his sorry ass. If only to ease his conscious that had decided to wake up.

*~*~*~*~*

He was flying low, not twenty feet from the ground, getting closer by the minute to where Jarvis had last detected Loki’s energy signature. It had blipped off the radar two minutes ago causing Tony to push some serious speed into his flight. Just as he was passing by a small park his scanner flashed in front of his eyes. Loki’s energy was back on the grid. Veering a hard left Tony rocketed into the part, toward the week blip of energy that was Loki. He wasn’t too hard to find.

In the center of the park there was a huge crater, rubble and remains of trees were scattered everywhere. Chunks of metal were littered around the hole. Tony scanned them briefly. They matched up to something Loki himself had set upon his brother when Thor had crash landed on earth. Dropping down to the ground Tony hefted a metal helmet up for a closer look. It was defiantly similar to that metal, fire-breathing horror of Loki’s. He had see. SHIELD’s video footage of the event and was doubtful anything less than a god could have stopped that thing. Taking into the air again, he could spot scorch marks along the scattered tree trunks. Yeah, this was bad….

Flying down into the crater, Tony found at the center of it a semi-conscious Loki. Dropping down next to the god Tony looked over his injuries. His wound on his side was much worse, blood was seeping through the remains of his armor. Burns marks and cuts decorated his face and arms. Without removing the armor Tony couldn’t tell if there was more to be seen.

Carefully, Tony lifted the god into his metal arms, trying not to jostle him too much. Slowly he rose from the ground, keeping even lower than before he began the trip to Stark Tower.

*~*~*~*~*

It had been a long sleepless night for Tony Stark. Firstly the flight home took longer that he’d have liked due to fear of dropping the injured god. Then came the treatment. It had been hell in a hand-basket. Unable to contact SHIELD for medical assistance nor could he contact the other Avengers Tony was left with a temperamental, injured and semi-conscious god and Jarvis giving him instructions on how to treat said gods wounds.

In the end, he had done it. The wound on Loki’s side was deep, but nothing vital had been hit. The cuts and burns were superficial as well. Tony credited the worst of it to Loki’s magic being used up. He had moved the Trickster into his room, he was too lazy to carry him down to the floor beneath him and well… He wanted to keep an eye on the bugger…

Slumping down in a chair next to the bed he tipped his head back, Intending to sleep a few hours away.

Loki’s low, soft voice drifted across the room.

“Why did you bring me here…?”

Tony slowly raised his head, half contemplating to ignore to god in favor of sleeping.

“Why? Good question.”

He could practically hear Loki’s eyes roll.

“No you- I -” He shut up.

“No, go on, what is it?” Tony was only mildly interested.

“You sent me away, and then you bring me back….”

“Don’t act like its that simple. I found you nearly dead, inside a crater with what looks like that nasty suit of armor that you sent after your brother blown to hell and back!”

“So you saw it…..”

“Not all of it, what was left anyways.”

“….. Then it doesn’t matter.”

“I dragged your ass back here, let’s not forget, now cough it up. What is that thing?”

Loki was silent for a long time, Tony was only half sure he was still awake and hadn’t conveniently fallen asleep.

“It… Is… Was… The guardian of our most precious items on Asgard. Things that are quite powerful and deadly if in the wrong hands…”

“Like yours?”

Loki let out a dry humorless laugh at that.

“I suppose… But not this time. It was set upon me by the All Father, the man who is supposedly my father.”

Odin…Tony recalled. Why had he-

“I believe it is his way of disowning me as a son. How clever, he was most likely hoping it would finish me off, because of my weakened state.”

Tony felt something in his guy twist a bit at Loki’s words. Talk about rejection….

Tony stood up and crossed over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it.

“I…. Know..” he said quietly.

Loki’s eyes flashed open and he attempted to sit up.

“You know, what do you mean you know! What did you ask Thor about my pitiful existence?!”

Pressing a hand to Loki’s chest Tony tried to get him to lay back down.

“Calm down!” Tony said loudly, thanking the gods that he lived alone.

Loki refused to be moved.

“Tell me what you meant Stark!”

“I have you file! That’s it damn it!”

Loki froze, then slowly he laid back down.

“I see. Do SHIELD has been doing their research….” he said bitterly, staring at the ceiling.

“Don’t they always.” Tony said quietly. He thought about what the other Avengers would say if they knew what he had done… but he had done the right thing hadn’t he?

He really didn’t want to think about it anymore.

The hours went by, daylight broke, Loki finally was sleeping, so Tony slowly made his way back to his designated chair and tipped his head back.

‘Think later, rest now.’ he thought and drifted off into a fitful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony had woken up, drowsy and in need of some serious coffee but relatively rested. After making a pot of coffee Tony headed back into his room. Loki was still asleep by some miracle and hadn’t run away while Tony was asleep.

Tony once again found himself sitting next to the injured god. He wondered how long it would take for his magic to replenish, and when it did what would happen. What Tony had done didn’t really change things, they were still enemies, they would face off against each other and one would win, one would lose.

Then why did it feel like everything had been turned on its head for Tony Stark? Shaking his head he took a sip of his coffee, and Loki stirred.

Emerald eyes slowly blinked open, then shut again as the god stretched. He rolled over onto his side, face hidden by Tony’s leg. Tony’s eyebrows shot up, surprised at the contact that had pulled him out of his thoughts. Looking down he let a small smile show.

He didn’t have much contact with people, yes he had his one night stands but he never had someone to just be close to. Even when he was with Pepper there had been distance between them.

‘Your letting him get to you Stark…’ Tony told himself.

Loki pushed his face against Tony’s leg, still half asleep. Turning his face up towards Tony his eyes opened, taking in Tony’s amused face. Eyes widening Loki froze.

“What….” He began to say before snapping his mouth shut.

“Your not half bad when your asleep.” Tony said in amusement. Loki sat up quickly, forgetting about his side. Hissing in pain, the god put a hand on his side.

Now that he had a better view, Tony looked over the icy god. Shirtless, Loki’s pale skin contrasted with his dark ebony hair and jade eyes. Unlike Thor, Loki wasn’t a mass of muscle but his lean body held hidden power. Tony knew the Trickster could probably put him through a wall just as easy as his brother, and he was far more likely to.

Loki poked at the bandage wrapped around him, examining Tony’s work.

“What are you playing at Stark?” he asked bluntly.

“Oh yes, because I’m the one who is always plotting the demise of people.”

Shooting a glare at Tony he said:  
“Truth. Yet I am not the one welcoming my enemies into my home.”

Tony shrugged, “I’ve never been known to make wise decisions.”

“Never the less, why have you brought me here? How is it, that you are so intent to aid me? You are meant to hate me.”

“Who decides that?” Tony asks before he realizes it. He turns away from Loki, frowning. The God of Mischief had a point. He was Iron Man, a super hero. Someone who stands above the others, someone who protects the innocent and saves lives. Loki… Loki was the villain to put it in simple terms. He thrived off of chaos, crime, and destruction. And… Yet how similar they were…

Both would sooner bite their own tongue off then tell a strait truth, they each had suffered in the shadows of someone that was meant to love them. They had in turn chosen their own paths to show what they could do, that they could make a difference.

“W- what?”. Loki asks, looking thrown. Had he never questioned these things? Was it really that simple, that black and white…? Tony wonders.

“I- um, you know what, never mind…”

Loki moved to get up, a hand on his shoulder stopped him in place.

“Stark-“

“What are you doing? Your still injured!” Tony interrupted, not caring if he pissed the god off.

“Unhand me, I’m not so far gone to have to be helped by the likes of you!” Loki snapped, shaking Tony’s hand off of his shoulder.

Tony simple grabbed at Loki, catching his hand and holding on, preventing him from getting up.

“Stop running away! You can barely stand!”

“How about you quite caring for me as if I was a child!” Loki just tried to pull his hand free from Tony’s. Tony just holds on to the god and pulls him back onto the bed. Tony knew that if he could do this, move Loki around with no trouble, then Loki’s magic was still a long ways away from returning.

“Since when have you cares for me Stark?! I have tried to kill you, your friends, the pathetic people that populate this wretched place! Why! Why help me, why care?!”

“Since when have I cared? Since I unfortunately became a ‘Super Hero’! I’m Iron Man, I don’t just sit around knowing someone is going to die and let it happen!” Tony refused to back off. “Yeah you did some bad things, but your not the only one in that corner! My company use to make weapons, weapons designed to kill as many people as they could in the fastest way! You think my records clean?!”

Loki regarded him silently, eyes narrowed, watching Tony’s movements. The Trickster looks down at where their hands were connected.

“Most… would fear to be this … close… to me.” he says softly.

“Good thing I’ve never exactly followed the crowd.”

Loki narrows his eyes, studying the man before him.

“If I leave are you gonna run away?” Tony asks seriously.

“You act as if I could.” Loki replies bitterly. He didn’t know how to deal with this, being stripped of his magic, injured, and in the palm of his enemy.

Tony said nothing more, watching the man get up and cross the room. 

” I hope you know what you are doing, Stark.”

~*~*~*~*~

Jarvis, the energy scanners -“

“Are working perfectly, Sir.”

“Yes I know that Jarvis!” Tony replied. Moving in front of one of his many holographic white boards he brought up the original outline for his scanning system and frowned.

“This is not the original design…”

“I believe it is Sir.” Jarvis responded.

“What was I thinking….?” He mumbles to himself. He could see now, why he was having so many problems.

“If it helps, Sir, you were rather rushed to complete this.”

“Thank you Jarvis.”

The main problem with the current program was that Tony couldn’t activate or scan for energy signatures while inside the Iron Man suit. Jarvis had to activate it from Stark Tower, preform the scan and then send it to Tony inside the suit. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if his target stayed in one place, but he wasn’t that lucky. Neither of the magical brothers made it a habit to stay in one place for more than five minutes. Tony found that he had a lot less reaction time because of this.

“I’ll have to re-write the whole program…” he said, thinking aloud again.

Jarvis made no comment on that, Tony assumed it was because the computer was exasperated with him. Somewhere along the line Jarvis had developed his own type of personality, making him much less like Tony’s computer and more like another person living in the tower.

“Hm, I wonder… Jarvis, would it be possible to not only scan for energy signatures but key into certain peoples?” The idea would be similar to his suits weaponry programming, one that could lock onto targets, and distinguish friend from foe.

“Yes, it is very possible Sir?”

Moving a few things around on the holo-board Tony said,

” Maybe I could use this to…. Hm… Yes!” he exclaimed.

“Jarvis, what about counter-acting the energy, magic or what ever the hell it is? As a defense program for the suit?”

“Sir-“

“Meddling with magic now, are we?” a smooth voice interrupted Jarvis. Turning from the holo-board Tony was greeted with the site of a slightly disheveled Loki. Loki has chosen to remain shirtless, or Tony had forgotten to put out a shirt, and had the pair of sweatpants Tony had put on him.

Pulling a face Loki said;

“You have yet to understand, magic is not a science, it is something entirely different from the world you live in.”

“Yes, but science has figured everything else out, so why not this too?” Tony turned his back on the god and was back to moving things around on the holo-board.

A smirk spread across the gods features.  
“Do tell, what you think yourself capable of?” Loki moved to lean against a nearby table, watching the genius at work.

“I think I’ll keep that to myself, privileged information and all that…” he said, frowning when he read through his original notes, the made no sense and sure as hell didn’t help him understand the design he had created. He shook his head and scrapped both the notes and most of the preliminary design.

A grin played across the gods pale face as he pushes himself off the table he was leaning against, and walks swiftly over to the billionaire. A hand is wrapped around Tony’s chin and slender fingers slide up Tony’s cheek. With a quick pull, Tony is now facing Loki, with just a few inches between them. Looking down at the shorter man Loki says softly, yet still teasingly “You’re a smart mortal, Anthony… But what makes you think, that you would stand a chance against magic…?”

” Don’t underestimate what I do down here, one day you might find yourself faced with my ideas. We will fight again, don’t expect me to go soft on you because of this.” Tony said, only speaking a half-truth. It was terribly distracting to have Loki this close. The gods emerald eyes narrowed as he took in Tony’s words.

“Don’t underestimate you? Ha! You are a mortal and I a God, or have you forgotten that, Stark?” Loki says, his hand tightened slightly, even without his magic Loki was still quite strong and Tony did not miss the threat in his eyes.

“I’ve survived Mjolnir to the face before, nothing you do will be worse that that.” He snapped back. True, he had been in the suit but it had not been one of his best moments…

Loki’s mouth quirked into something like a smile, his hand relaxed against Tony’s face.

“Then you should know, that enchanted hammer of his is nothing compared to the magic I hold.” Loki removed his hand and stepped away, peering down at the various tools Tony had left lying around.

“You will come to regret saving me, Anthony.”

“And why is that? Planning another ’ take over the world’ scheme?”

“As if I would tell my enemy such things.”

Loki turned, glancing down at Tony once more.

“Good to know this hasn’t changed things for you, wouldn’t want you to change your ways now would we?”

Grabbing Tony’s arm, Loki stepped into his personal space. Leaning in closely, close enough that Tony could feel his cool breath hit his face.

“Remember that I am your enemy, and always will be. One act of kindness on your part dose indeed change nothing!” he snarled. His fierce glare melted into a cruel smirk.  
” Perhaps, you wish not to see me as your enemy…?”

Tony shivered, not liking where this was going. Loki’s words were poking far too close to things that Tony didn’t want to think about.

Green eyes met brown and Loki seemed to see his very thoughts.

“Perhaps…. You can not hurt me…” he said, enjoying Tony’s discomfort.

“Never the less, you have been helpful.” With that Loki stepped back, giving Tony his much needed space. Letting out a breath that he hadn’t known he was holding Tony turned away from Loki, attempting to get back to work. Loki’s soft footsteps could be heard as he left Tony’s workroom to do who knows what.

‘probably off to poison my food…’ Tony snarled in his head.

_______________________________

As it turned out, Loki had not poisoned Tony’s food. No, he has run off. Exactly what Tony had not wanted. Not only had the bugger run off, but he had taken Tony’s favorite shirt with him.

‘couldn’t he just make new clothes….?’ Tony thought, before remembering that Loki didn’t have any magic as of last night.

With much grumbling, Tony headed into his room to attempt to sleep a little.

_______________________________

Two days had passed since Tony had rescued Loki, not that he’d been thankful for it or promised to behave for a while….

For the most part though, Tony had been doing a very good job of not thinking about his little encounter with the God of Mischief.

Thor had decided that he wanted to do some combat training with Tony, knowing that he wouldn’t say no. So Tony had suited up and prepared to kick the crap out of the local thunder god. One exhausted god and an Iron Man suit later, they’d discovered that, no, superhero’s for whatever reason should not fight.

It’s been a late night for Tony Stark, he has been working his ass off repairing his Iron Man suit once again (Although this time it was mostly his fault…), Tony was just finishing up repairing his tracing system when Jarvis spoke up.

“Sir, there seems to be an intruder on the premises, shall I-“

The robot was cut off but a quiet laugh from behind Tony. Tony turned around just to see Loki once again standing in his workrooms doorway.Cursing himself, Tony cast a glance at the suit he was repairing and then at the demigod.

“I’m sorry, was there a invitation to come here as you please?”

Loki chuckles and walks towards the genius.

“A god doesn’t need a invitation to a mortals home.”

“Yes, we’ll there’s something called manners, you should look them up.” Tony snapped unhappy with the surprise guest.

“Let see, you’ve already made yourself quite at home here before, destroyed my sign, two of my suits” Tony gestured behind him to the one he was still repairing. “And not too mention made off with my favorite shirt. So what could you be after now? A drink perhaps?” Tony smirked at the last part of his words, knowing it would piss Loki off.

“I never really did get my drink, did I?” He laughs under his breath sounding dark.

“I came here for a better reason than just talking with you, sadly.” He walks, till he is standing just a few feet away.

“I need to get into SHEILD and I think you can help me do just that Anthony.” A smirk grows across his pale face.

“Really? Now why would I do that?” Tony walked over to one of the mini fridges he has scattered about the tower for thinking things like, soda, scotch and the occasional food item. He pulled out two cans of soda tossing one towards Loki.

“Now, just out of curiosity, why do to need to get into SHIELD?”

Loki just takes the can in his hands and holds it upside down looking at it oddly, he is really focused on it.

“I know that you are not fond of SHIELD so if you were to help me.. There would be something in it for you.” He voices, yet still seems at a distance as he continues to look over the can oddly.

“What is this?”

Tony, laughing slightly, popped the tab on the can and took a sip.

“You drink it, it’s good. What do you know about my history with SHIELD?” Tony was curious to know how Loki had found that particular piece of info. Not that it mattered too much but if someone out there was talking, some of his much less known and more deadly secrets could be exposed.

“You drink from metal? I think, not.”

He sets the can on one of the tables and turns his attention back at Tony completely. 

“I tend to try and understand a bit about my enemy. I just know you and SHIELD don’t always see on the same page.” He says, surprising Tony. It was not like Loki to outright tell a person something.

Tony set the can aside and walked slowly towards the Demigod.

“What exactly are you asking me to do?” not that he was planing to do it, but he was curious and Loki was in a semi-decent mood.

“Can I even trust you’ll tell the truth?” Thinking again, on what Thor had told him of his brother, the Liesmith.

Loki laughs and leans back against one of the many work benches that Tony had around the workshop.

“I see, Thor, has told you a bit about me and my talents .” He laughs coldly again looking away from the other male.

“The only help I need from you is to get you and your team of Avengers out of the way, while I deal with SHIELD myself.”

Not only was he confident that Tony would assist him, but was also confident that he would get away with it. And if that didn’t just piss Tony off….

“What the hell are you after and when did you become a team player?”

“Let me tell you something; I’d take kindly to my brothers warnings about me, I don’t play well with people.”

Loki pushed back against the table, moving across the room to stand near the work table with various pieces of the Iron man laid out on it. Looking over each item carefully, He picks up a scrap piece of metal and just slides his fingers over the metal, examine it until he looks back at Tony. His emerald green eyes meeting Tony’s dark eyes.

“Now it wouldn’t be intelligent to tell my enemy of my own plans, do you take me as a fool? Be sure to keep in mind I am not like Thor.”

Attempting to hide a smile Tony coughed, he should not have found that funny, and then said quickly,

“Yes, but you seem to have the idea that I’ve already agreed to help you. “

Moving to circle around Tony, Loki stops just behind him and leans down. Speaking low into Tony’s ear he says “Tell me what makes you think you have a choice?”

“Now, I’m curious, why would you come to me about SHIELD when there are people who trust them much less than I, unless…?” Tony said, letting the sentence trail off. Tony was trying to seem like he wasn’t bothered by the gods close proximity.

Loki sighs and moves once more to lean against the table at Tony’s side.

“I came to you, Stark. The rest doesn’t matter.”

Tony was silent for a moment, he knew there was more to Loki’s story, his request… Wasn’t that always the case? Either way, there was one thing he needed to know, before he decided to do something incredibly stupid as usual if he decided to help at all.

‘Why should I help him…? He could be stealing some weapon or other equally nasty thing.’ He thought to himself.

“You don’t need me, use your magic.” Clearly Loki had it back, the proof? He’d appeared in Tony Stark’s home undetected.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with what happened two nights ago would it? You know, when you where in my bed, and I played doctor for a while?”

Loki just freezes in place for a moment, he doesn’t more or say a thing. He looks almost shocked that Tony came that that conclusion. After a moment passed, Loki finally returns to his normal expression with a twisted grin.

“Stark, I told you that the rest didn’t matter.. My disgusting family and our problems don’t matter to the likes of you.” Loki snaps and turns away from Tony.

“And no, you idiot, My magic has yet to return to me! It’s a simple thing to get passed your systems.  
All you need to do is keep the Avengers out of the way, for a night. That’s all I need from you.”

‘So that’s it… What your after…’ Tony thought. There was only one thing that Loki could be interested in right now. Something that, like Mjolnir, was magical itself.

“I could in theory keep most of them occupied… But your brother poses a problem. ” Tony replied, already working on a plan.

Loki must be desperate, if he intended to carry out his plan. Once again, Tony found himself between a rock and a hard place. Whatever issues Loki was dealing with one thing, that had been clear since Tony found him in that crater, was that he couldn’t defend himself.

‘Oh come on! You’ve already helped him out once… And this isn’t something stupid like bandaging him up. This was letting a known superpowered criminal break into SHIELD.

“Thor..” Loki sighs and turns away from Tony trying to think of a way to deal with his idiot brother.

“Ah, fine.. At least take care of the others and I will deal around Thor.”

He then turns back towards Tony. “I must thank you for the support you’ve been so generous to give me, Anthony. I thought you would be harder to convince.”

He smiles darkly, with his teeth showing. “I guess my intel about you was just what I required.”

“Intel..? Hmm you seem to think you know quite a bit about me. I love hearing about myself, care to share?” Tony said slyly, knowing full well that if Loki had gotten intel from SHIELD it would be incomplete. He constantly monitored their servers, making sure nothing vital reached them.

Loki chuckles. “You and I, Stark, we are quiet a bit alike. Itself almost funny… You like to hear about yourself, ti have your name everywhere, guess what.. So do I.”

He just grins again. “You are trying to trick me into giving you more information than I want to give. You can’t fool me Stark, I have lied all my life.”

Tony cursed silently, getting frustrated. “You take great pleasure in ruining my fun, Can’t you let me have any?”

The god laughs and raises an eyebrow at the other.

“Believe it or not Tony, I enjoy fun and entrainment on my own terms that is, perhaps you could keep me entrained and I’ll let you in on a few of my secrets.” Loki smirks evilly towards the genus in the room. “You do want my information, correct?”

Smirking, Tony moves closer to Loki. Now he is the one invading personal space as he leans in to say;

“And what, would be fun to you…?” he was closer than he thought Loki would let him get. He pulled back suddenly.

“No. I don’t think so. Fun for you would probably end in someone’s death, hopefully not mine.”

He turns away from Loki and starts to fiddle with his suits chest plate, knowing full well that Loki was positively pissed. He liked to have things his way, he wasn’t use to someone giving back what he gave out.

“I’ve heard things from Thor that have me quite curious, you know.” He said offhand. He hadn’t talked to Thor about Loki at all, he just wanted to see if Loki would spill anything. It was a way to push the gods buttons even more.

Loki seems a bit worried and tries to cover up this before the other man noticed.

“Well, would mind informing me of what my brother has spoken to you about myself?” Loki watches Tony carefully as he moved around.

Tony walked closer to Loki, stopping just in front of the god. “Well that depends, what are you going to tell me?” Tony was enjoying this too much, but how could he not?

Loki just stands there, seemingly not bothered.

The god shrugs. “So are asking for us to trade information, Stark?”

“Am I? But really I have little interest in info on SHIELD, I’ve hacked into their systems twice now. No, what I’m interested in is why you have the odd habit of turning severely blue on occasion?”

Loki just looks a bit shaken up, he doesn’t even try to mask that about himself. He opens his mouth to say something when he can’t really bring himself to words. He steps back away from Tony trying to gain the advantage in their conversation again.

“Ah.. Thor, must speak quiet a bit about me then.” Loki tries not to stutter in his words. “Either way, I wish not to speak about that event, Anthony.”

“I could find out you know. There are a lot of books on Norse mythology…” Tony trailed off. He didn’t really want to poke through a bunch of dusty old books but… it was just to good to let sit.

“Who says what is written is even the truth in this matter.” He just smirks and looks down towards Tony. “So if you look it up, then you look it up, I am not worried Mr. Stark.”

“Really..? Now that’s no fun… Again. Now what would I have to do to get you to tell me?”

“He just sighs and looks Tony in the eyes with his own.

“Let’s face it Stark, nothing you can say would end up making me tell you. So let’s both leave it at that. I don’t need anything from you.. Wait just.. Never mind.” Loki just noticed what he almost said and he just shuts up quickly, closing his mouth and looks away from Tony. “I should be leaving now.”

“What? Don’t pretend like you weren’t going to say something, what is it? Getting Thor to leave you alone or maybe telling him what Odin-”

“I said, nothing Tony.” Loki shoots a glare at Tony, his green eyes seem to darken a bit.

“Clearly it’s not nothing.” He got closer to Loki, he knew he was pushing his limits. “What is it.”

“”Shut up, Stark, I didn’t say anything, leave it at that Tony!” He looks really bothered and is trying to keep his calm, which isn’t working very well. Tony was proving that he could get under peoples skin just as well as Loki.

Tony was getting pissed. “You think you’ll get out of whatever shit you’ve got yourself into because you always do, don’t you? Take it from someone who knows, there’s gonna be a time where you’re shit out of luck and all alone, then you’ll really wish you had someone to help you. Take it from someone who knows!”

Tony turned away from Loki quickly “… Don’t make my mistake”

Loki grits his teeth and grabs Tony’s shoulder pulling him back so he is facing him.

“Don’t you dare think you have any control over me. I don’t need your help! I don’t need anyone’s help!” Loki looks just as pissed as Tony does.

Tony grabbed onto Loki’s arm and yelled “Then why did you come here? Why me? You expect me to sit here and not give a shit about why you’re so desperate to get into SHIELD but not to fight us?!”

 

Loki pulls his arm away from Tony glaring coldly at the other. “Do not pretend to care about me Stark! I do not know what you think you are doing, but you are not a friend nor ally! Stop meddling in my affairs!”

“I think I’ve said this before, I’m a hero and I’m also invested in keeping things peaceful. If you and your daddy are having issues and it leads to crater sized holes appearing over night then yes, I care. I also didn’t spend time playing doctor for you to go do something stupid right after. That’s my department, not yours.”

 

Loki steps towards the other, watching Tony’s every move carefully.

“So because you are a hero now.. You’re willing to save the villain?”

He places a hand on Tony’s chest running his fingers down towards his arc reactor. “It’s funny how such a small piece of metal can effect your personality so much.” Loki smirks looking at Tony. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Stark?”

Tony gritted his teeth together, not wanted to show his nervousness. “I’m not even sure you know what this is, or how….. I got it…” he trailed off. Loki was a creature of magic, not science, so what could he do to the arc reactor? He already tried to do his little magic staff trick on it and it didn’t work.

“You’re right. I don’t know, how this works or what it is nor about how you have it..” He slides hands up and down as if it would help him understand it more. “But, I do know the only reason you are Iron man is because of it. As you have heard things about me; so have I heard things about you, Tony.”

“It seems like we both have ghosts in our pasts that others can’t understand…” Tony said quietly, calming down slightly.

“I’m not even sure if I understand my own, half the time..” Loki just pushes away from Tony stepping back. “I should be leaving then..” Loki just smiles

“I must thank you, for the chat. It was quite entertaining.” Loki said. As he moved away he winced and placed a hand on his side. Tony realized that his wound had yet to heal.

‘Of course it hasn’t! He doesn’t have his magic yet so he’s healing at a rate close to that of a human.’ Tony thought. He bit his lip. If there was something he could do to get Loki to not launch head first into SHIELD…. hm… he could-

“Jarvis, tomorrow night, is SHIELD sill planing to upgrade their systems.? Tom asks, Looking directly at Loki. Loki’s eyebrows rose in confusion, until the computer spoke up.

“Yes, Sir but-“

“Good. Thank you Jarvis. At least I’ll have the night off…” he turns away from Loki as he says “They’ll be shut down all night so Fury’s shit outta luck if something were to happen….”

Tony felt a presence behind him, but refused to turn around.

“You never cease to amaze me…Tony Stark.” a voice says, low and close to Tony’s ear.

Soft footsteps were once again heard crossing the floor and the elevator door pinged open.

When Tony finally decided he could turn around, He was left alone with only Jarvis and a lot of guilt to keep him company.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day came and went and Tony did as he said he would and got the team out of way for the night. Tony or may not have had a little too much fun.

The distraction he promised came in the form of him poking banner one too many times in the side with a tazer.

After a few hours, Tony was finally able to return to Stark Tower, battered and bruised one again, but somehow still in one piece. He headed down to his lab to clean up a few things he had been working on. Time flew by, as it usually does when he’s in his lab, and it was late into the night. Tony walked over the coffee machine he kept in his workroom, grabbing himself another cup he crossed back over to the work table and went back to work.

“Sir…?” Jarvis spoke up a few minutes later.

“Yeah?” Tony said, he was fixing the hand repulsor in the left arm of his suit at the moment.

“It would appear that you have a guest…”

Tony rolled his eyes;  
“I swear if it’s Steve again-“

“It is not the Captain, Sir.”

“Oh hell, fine I’ll be up…” he muttered.

Setting down the arm, he shuffled across the room to the elevator, grabbing his cup of coffee as he went.

The doors opened and he strode out into his living room, finishing off his coffee.

“Okay, I’m very busy so can we make this quick-“

Tony stopped dead in his sentence as he was greeted by the site of Loki lounging across one of his couches, a smirk gracing his pale features.

“Do you treat all your guests so kindly…?” Loki said mockingly.

 

“Only those who make a habit of interrupting my work.”

Frowning, Tony walked over to the god and sat down across from him. As he set his cup on the table something was dropped in front of him.

“I found your file, quite interesting, Tony.”

It was a file that had been dropped in front of him, it had, TOP SECRET’ written on it in large bold lettering.

‘That’s not obvious or anything…’ Tony thought sarcastically to himself. For a secret inelegance agency SHIELD could be pretty stupid….

Tony quickly picked it up and scanned through it.  
“Son of a bitch!” he swore angrily.

Someone had given Fury intel on the arc reactor. Most of it was theory and speculation but it was too close to the truth for Tony to be comfortable.

“Once again you have me at a disadvantage Loki.” he glares at the god in front him.

“It really is quite the disadvantage this time isn’t it?” Loki says as he laughs slightly, looking from the file to Tony.

“I can understand why you don’t trust SHIELD, they like to hide things don’t they?”

“You have no idea. The sad thing is they really suck at hiding their own dirty little secrets. I’m tempted to upload some of them onto the Internet.” Tony let out a humorless laugh, still looking down at the open file in his hands.

“The arc reactor isn’t something to mess with….”

“It’s quite the little object you have there.. One of the most interesting things I’ve seen here on Midgard.”

Loki leans forward, reaching out to flip through a few pages, stopping at a page that contained Tony’s family history. A picture of Howard Stark and a young Tony Stark looks up from the page. Tony tightens his grip on the file, gritting his teeth together.

“I found this the most interesting of the whole file. You had a hard childhood, didn’t you, Anthony?” Loki’s voice softens as he looks at the tense man in front of him. The file in the young genius’s hands proved that both of them, no matter how much they pushed it away, had a past that haunted them to this day.

Hearing these words Tony froze up, this was not something he talked about. Hell, there were so few people that knew fully of his past, and here was Loki just slapping him in the face with it.

“Your point? The past is the past for a reason. Hakuna Matata and all that.”  
Tony tosses the file aside, not caring where it ended up at the moment.

Tony doesn’t say anything for a while, Loki simply watches him carefully, and unsure of what he would do. 

“The past makes us who we are, Tony, surely you of all people would know this?”

Tony glares at the man across from him.  
“And what about you? Feeling in the sharing mood? Seeing as you dug through my files I feel like I should get something back. For emotional trauma and all that B.S.”

“Don’t try and pull that one with me! You do not know much about myself and my history, and I do not feel like sharing these things with my enemy.” Loki stood up suddenly, stepping around the coffee table to stand before Tony. He looks down at the man, and says darkly;

“But you do not have a choice, Tony. I have read about your past, I know most everything about it. So let’s talk.”

Leaning in slightly, he continues;  
“Dad gave you everything you could want, but never truly cared for you, never had even the slightest bit time for you. Is that it? What runs through you to this day? The pain of never having a family…?”

Tony reached out quickly, grabbing the front of Loki’s coat and pulled him in close.

“I know you enjoy pissing people off, hey I do too, but back off! What would you, who’s out to kill his own brother know about family?!”

Loki looks down at Tony, a bit surprised he gulps, trying to pull himself away from the other. Without his magic it was not an easy feat.

“Unhand me Anthony, I am not denying that my family life as been anything close to perfect, it has not.”

Tony looked closely at the god in front of him and slowly let go, sitting back in his chair.

“I know, it’s in your file.”

Tony knew he’d chosen the right moment to relay this information when his watches panic flash across those green eyes that filled with hate so quickly.

“File?! What do you mean Stark?! What file? What did Thor tell you! So keen he is, so suddenly, to oust our secrets! That i was never the ideal son that he was, that I was hidden away from the world! I had my own reasons, he never-” Loki stops dead, realizing just how much he had said, that he was spilling his emotions out to someone that he had to remind himself was the enemy.

Tony stared at the man in front of him for a long time. What were they doing? Each was determined to find the others weakness and exploit it, to throw it in their face. A constant battle of give-and-take, each in a way learning more and more about the other each time.  
Shaking his head, Tony recalled what he’d read in Loki’s file. It pissed him off.  
To top it all off, when Thor had found him rereading the file, he had felt the need to voice his opinions. Tony may or may not have reacted badly to what Thor had said.

“What happened wasn’t right by any means…”he said quietly, not looking at the other.

He heard Loki sit down on the coffee table, but didn’t bother to say anything.

Loki stared in shock at the other,  
“W-what…?” he whispers.

Tony looked at the other quickly, Loki had an unreadable expression on his face.

“I suppose I should tell you that’s punched you brother in the face when he decided to throw his opinion out there… “

Tony said quietly, rolling up the sleeve on his left arm that hid the ACE bandage wrapped tightly around his wrist.

“Sprained my wrist doing it…” it hadn’t been the smartest thing he’d done, but it wasn’t the stupidest either. It didn’t help that he’d been working in his workroom with his wrist injured.

Loki’s green eyes widened as he looked at Tony’s wrist.

“…you did…” he trails off for a moment.

“Why? Everyone sees that I was the problem child… Thor was the good one, the one ego was always right.” he rambles on, surprised that someone saw it his way.

“No one is right about everything. As you’ve… Read… I’ve- lived in the shadow of both my father and the one he admired.” Tony pauses for a moment, he wasn’t use to talking about this, but he felt like he needed to.

“No matter what I did I was never good enough, that is if he could be bothered to have the time to be disappointed. Thor is what we call a ‘golden child’, he can’t see things the way… we see… them.”  
Tony trailed off, not wanting to put the both of them on the same side.

“I noticed how…alike…we really are.” Loki looks like Tony feels, neither wanting to acknowledge their similarities.

Frowning at Tony’s injured wrist Loki sighs and says;  
“I can help you, with that- If you want that is!” he finishes quickly before looking away.

Tony raised his eyebrows and says;  
“W-what, how? I thought you were out of magic? Did it come back- then why do you walk here?”

“Anthony, cease your questions.” Loki warns, not one for patients.

“Do you wish for me to help, or not?”

Biting his lip, Tony doesn’t know what to say.

Rolling his eyes Loki reaches forward taking Tony’s wrist in hand. Loki places his other hand over their joined hands, a green light illuminates them, within a few minutes the light was fading. Loki’s face was twisted into something akin to pain, not that he would admit it.

“Are you-“

“Fine.” Loki cuts in.

“Let’s face it you hit Thor for me, that is something I enjoy, I feel as though I should repay the act.”

Once the light fully faded, Loki removed his hands, letting a small genuine smile grace his features. “That should feel better now.”

 

Tony unwraps the bandage, turning his wrist and flexing his fingers.

“Thanks… you know, you should smile more, it’s quite… charming…” he says quietly, not quite looking at the other.

 

Loki shoots a glare at Tony and makes an annoyed sound in his throat.

“I can break your hand again, so do not think to say that again.” Rolling his eyes the god looks away, a slight blush across his cheeks.

 

Tony smirks and says; “It’s true, what are we not use to getting compliments?”

 

He leans in, making Loki look him in the eyes. “What if I only said nice things when no one else was around?” Not realizing that he was actually getting use to Loki’s visits and was coming to expect them.

 

“And If I say no?” Loki asked, mildly amused.

 

“Then I will have to explain to Thor just how cute you can be.” Tony said, once again not thinking before opening his mouth.

 

“Well you drive a hard bargain, Anthony.” shaking his head, thoroughly amused at the other mans embarrassment. “However, I will have to say no. I’ll sooner break your hand then let you say nice things about me.”

 

Tony pouts childishly, “Well then that’s a chance I’ll have to take. What’s wrong with me being nice on the rare occasion I want to be?”

 

“Stark, you really enjoy pissing me off don’t you?” He frowns, crossing his arms and leans back slightly in his position, perched on top of the coffee tables edge.

“Just don’t try me… you will regret it.”

 

Knowing it would piss the god off more, Tony leans forward getting in the other man’s space he says slyly.

 

“Then how about you, try me?” Not really being serious, or acknowledging the small part of him that was.

 

Loki chuckles coldly and moves close, just inches away, his cool breath fanning over Tony’s face.

“You want me to try you…? I’ll gladly do just that.” the next moment, Loki is pressing his lips against Tony’s in a quick, teasing, kiss. Pulling away, deep green eyes seemed to look trough Tony. Placing a pale hand on Tony’s face for a moment as he stands, fingers trailing down to brush against his lips, and then he’s leaving.

 

As the elevator doors shut, Tony finally gains some of his senses.

 

“Sir?”

 

“Y-yeah Jarvis?”

 

“Perhaps now would be a good time to retire for the evening?”

 

“I couldn’t agree more, Jarvis.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

In the dark of his bedroom, Tony Stark was sleeping fitfully. Tossing and turning he was half asleep when the door to his room slowly opened. Rain pattering on the windows masked the soft footsteps as a figure stepped into the room, prodding the door shut, they padded across the room and sat down gently on his bed.

 

Tony, not aware of his late night guest, rolled over towards them.

 

A hand ran through the genius’s short, dark, hair in a soothing manner. Instead of putting Tony into a deeper sleep, it had the opposite affect waking him up slowly.

 

Blinking in the blue light that came from his arc reactor, he was only dimly aware of someone carding their hand through his hair.

 

“Steve I swear you need to stop-”

 

“Steve…?How often do you have men come into your room late at night, Anthony?”a cool, amused voice asks.

 

Turning to face the source of the voice fully, Tony blinked again. He had to be dreaming, a really weird dream at that. Loki was sitting in his bed, in the sweatpants and Tony’s favorite tee shirt that he’d stolen, and was playing with the young genius’s hair.

 

“Huh…?” he asks stupidly.

 

An amused chuckle is heard and Loki leans over, his face illuminated in the blue light. Now that Tony could see him better he could see that the god was worse for wear. Loki’s skin was a sickly pale, dark circles under his eyes, his hair that is normally neatly slicked back hung around his face messily.

 

“Always a man of eloquence, aren’t you Anthony?”

 

“You can’t show up in a guy’s room at-” glancing at the clock on his bedside table “3:43 am, and expect him to be fully functional.” Pausing for a moment, he props himself up on his elbows and gives Loki a strange look.

 

“Why are you in my bedroom?”

 

Loki’s hand pauses in its motions for a second and he flushes slightly before resuming his motions.

 

“I- am here… because I wish to be.” he said stubbornly, in a tone that says not to ask any more questions. So of course, Tony does just that.

 

“Okay and why would that be? If you’re after a fight I hate to tell you I am not getting out of this bed.”

 

“What a lazy creature you are.” Loki sounds amused.

 

“Yes well you’re not exactly prim and proper are you?” Tony replies, gesturing to Loki’s stolen wardrobe.

 

Cracking a small smile Tony continues, “Really, what are you here for? A repeat of how your earlier visit ended?”

 

Loki laughs “I’m glad, that you would remember it so well.”

 

Tony found himself blushing slightly, and he leaned slightly closer to the god.

“Yes… And I do believe I should pay you back for that.”

 

“Payback?” He shakes his head, smirking. “I honesty do not believe payback is necessary.”

Leaning a bit closer Loki says slyly;

“Did you enjoy it, Stark?”

 

Tony smirked, leaning up quickly he pressed his lips to Loki’s briefly before pulling away.

“…What do you think?”

 

Loki looks a bit shocked but covers it quickly. Frowning slightly he says;

“I would have to say that you did.” A blush appears across the gods pale face.

 

“Now, will you tell me why you’re here?”

 

“Drop it Anthony.” He snaps. “Am I not meant to come by anymore? I can leave.”

 

“No, Don’t.” Tony says quickly, not really sure of why he said it. Things were getting far too complicated.

 

“Why not? You are not meant to want me here… I am your enemy.”

 

Tony sighed, “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve made an enemy out of almost everyone, including your brother at the moment.”

 

The Trickster raises an eyebrow, not saying anything for a moment.

“I suppose then, I could stay. I do not have another place to be at this time…”

Tony snorts skeptically,

“Really? Hm… you wouldn’t happen to know any useful info on your brothers stupid hammer would you? Something that might keep me from getting that damned thing in the face again?”

Raising an eyebrow Loki asks; “And why, dare I ask, did you get hit with it in the first place?”

Tony grimaced, “Training session, a week or so ago. He gets a little carried away…”

Loki laughs, leaning slightly closer to Tony.

“That hammer doesn’t have a weakness…sadly…” He sighs, “If there was one, I would have used it already.” Once again reminding Tony that they were not on the same side.

“no, no…” Tony mumbles, thinking out loud. “It seems to have a… sort of magnetic field around it.. or something… I may be able to undo it…”

It wasn’t that he wanted to any serious damage his blonde, energetic, friend, he just wanted to get him back for the hammer incident and well… he couldn’t help himself. This was what he did, explore new possibilities, meddle with things, and create things.

Loki seems a bit lost, listening to Stark’s ramblings but he focuses and listens anyways.

“A magnetic field? Explain a bit more…. I’m curious.” He says, startling Tony out of his thoughts before continuing. “Perhaps… I could find a spell of some kind, now that I think on it. Odin used some kind of spellwork when he banished Thor here…” Loki frowned.

“I have resources, which I could… look through.” He was completely frustrated. The fact that he still could not summon up whatever he wanted or needed with a simple wave of his hand was proving to be a constant irritant.

“Oh..” Tony said, not knowing how to respond. Loki seemed to latch onto this idea, It had lit a creative spark in the other, one that Tony recognized. He wasn’t even sure that it was the fact that it had something to do with one-upping his brother that interested the god so much, he thought it may have to do with the fact that Loki could prove himself useful, that he could still even in the shape he was in, do something. 

“Well… from my fights with your brother my scanners have picked up some type of field around it. In theory I could make a device to counteract it….” Not really paying attention to what he was saying.

“Wait, you are trying to build something, a device, which could ‘stop’ magic, even if it is my brothers it is magic we speak of.” He asks, pulling back slightly.

Tony looked at him, confused. Then it dawned on him. If he found a way to counteract Thor’s hammer, then he could completely cockblock Loki’s powers too. No wonder he was worried.

“Oh hell… No, I- that’s not what I meant.”

A dark grin spreads across the gods face; he leans down, half lying on the bed, and takes Tony’s chin in hand.

“Then tell me, what you meant by it, Stark. You honestly think you could stop all my power? With just a simple device? Have you forgotten all that I’ve done?” He leans even closer, just a hairs breath away.

“But you wouldn’t want to hurt me, would you?” He says softly, almost seductively.

Tony let out a tense breath, not answering.

Brushing his cheek against Tony’s, Loki spoke in his ear;

“Could you even…think to harm me? I don’t believe you can…”

Tony realized that his hand had come to rest on Loki’s hip, weather to keep him from moving closer or to pull him in closer Tony didn’t know.

“Y-your right…” He finally admits, hating himself for it. Somewhere along the way, between the fighting, bickering, and downright pissing each other off, Tony had made a mistake. He’d stopped seeing Loki as just a ‘bad guy’, someone he, as a superhero was supposed to fight, and more as his own person, someone with a background, a life, and a reason for doing what he had done. The more he had learned about the other, the more he cared, the more he became attached.

Loki turned his face and Tony could feel the curved lips pressed against his cheek.

“How does this feel, Anthony?”

Moving his hand slightly on Loki’s hip Tony feel the shirt move under his hand, and then there was only smooth, pale, skin under his palm.

“What do you think?”

“I honestly don’t know what to think, Stark.” The trickster replies, frowning slightly at the hand on his hip.

“Hm… a first for everything.”

Rolling his eyes at that comment, Loki shifts so that he is lying fully on the bed.

Tony moved his hand up Loki’s side, thinking of his injury. Having barely moved it a few inches, Loki quickly grabs his hand, stopping any further movement.

“What, do you think you are doing?”

Laughing slightly Tony says;

“Checking how your wound is healing?”

“I think not.”

“I think so. Now, let me see.”

Lifting his head up, Loki looked into Tony’s dark eyes and moved both his and Tony’s hand upwards, over the bandages, not saying a word and clearly frustrated with Tony’s persistence.

“It’s not healing, is it?” Tony asks bluntly.

Sighing, Loki looked away from Tony.

“No. No it isn’t.”

Tony’s eyes widened. How badly had the gods magic been drained? Shouldn’t it be back by now?

“W-what? Shouldn’t your magic have come back or whatever?”

Looking back at Tony, Loki looked truly exhausted. As if all his energy or whatever had been fueling him had just run out that moment.

“What little magic I had regained has been spent keeping my brother off of my trail.” The look in his eyes left no doubt in Tony’s mind; Loki was being hunted down like an animal. By who, he still wasn’t completely sure. Thor had changed quite a bit since his last visit to Asgard, right after Loki had escaped. He knew Odin had sent the Guardian, or whatever the hell that walking nightmare was called, after Loki. Could Odin have sent Thor to kill his brother? Would he actually do it?

“Then- wait. If your magic is so low, why did you heal me?”

Loki shifted uncomfortably.

“I do what I want.” He says stubbornly.

“It does not matter why I did it, all that matters is that I did it.”

Tony sits up fully, moving Loki onto his side, and looks down at the tired god.

“Thor is the reason you showed up here, isn’t he?”

Scowling, weather at being moved or what was said Tony didn’t know, Loki snapped;

“I came because I felt like it Stark! If it is such a problem, that you can’t let go of, then I can leave!”

“Didn’t we have this conversation already? No, you can’t. No B.S., not this time. Let me guess; Thor found whatever place you’ve been hiding in, so what, you distracted him, grabbed your shit and ran here?” Tony said, not quite believing it. However, the look on Loki’s face confirmed it. That was exactly what he had done. It said a lot that the god would run to someone, an avenger at that, for safety.

“Seriously? You ran here, of all places?” He really was having a hard time picturing Loki running through Manhattans streets with whatever shit he had grabbed. It was…to human of him.

“Shut up.” Loki mumbled, pressing his face into one of Tony’s pillows.

Tony laughed and ran a hand through Loki’s hair, returning the god’s earlier gesture. 

“Your serious aren’t you? Thor’s gonna chase you through hell if he has to.”

“Don’t pretend to care, Anthony.” came the muffled response.

“I told you, I’m invested…”

“I’m not sure if I believe you,” Turning his face, green eyes glinted mischievously. He rolled over, on top of Tony and smirked down at him darkly.

“What makes you think I trust a word you say? I know how easily it would be for you to call your little ‘team’ here, do you think that I have not thought of this? That you simply could be waiting, to be sure that my magic is truly gone, before capturing me?” 

“…And yet you keep coming back.”Tony snaps. It was true, even if Tony had thought to call the Avengers in, Loki still had come RUNNING to his tower when he had nowhere else to go and an angry thunder god on his hands.

Loki rolls his eyes and makes a frustrated noise. He rests his head in the crook of Tony’s neck.

“…and yet I keep coming back…” he repeats quietly.\

Seeing as Loki seemed to have no intention of moving any time soon, Tony relaxed into his pillows, confused by the turn of events.

“Laying in the arms of my enemy…” Loki says quietly, barely raising his voice above a whisper.

Neither man knew what to do with themselves, or the situation. The line between “Hero” and “Villain” was blurring, almost like it was never there. Everything they knew was being tossed out the window. Tony stared up at the ceiling, wondering.

‘what’s going to happen when we fight? He’s not going to always be so…balanced… He lives for chaos…how long will it be before I have to suit up again…?’ He thinks to himself.

“It won’t always be like this…” he muttered.

Cool breath fanned across the skin of his shoulder and neck as Loki sighed.

“No… It will not… Let me stay here, Anthony, whilst I still can…”

*~*~*~*~*~*~

A loud crash of thunder woke Tony, what seemed like moments later. Looking around in his darkened room he found he was alone.

“Was he even here…?” Tony asked himself silently. Another flash of lightning lit up the room, proving that Tony was indeed alone. Dragging himself out of bed, he made his way into the kitchen to grab himself a coffee or a glass of scotch. On the couch was a dark shape, ever the one to do stupid things, Tony walked around the couch to get a better look. Nothing nasty or potentially fatal was found, simply a large leather bag, something like a backpack was resting on the couch. On top of the bag-type-thing was Tony’s sweatpants and the shirt that Loki had borrowed, folded neatly.

“So you were here…” Looking around quickly, for any sign Loki was still here tony spoke up;

“Jarvis, is Loki still in the Tower?”

“No sir, the security cameras shows that shortly after you fell asleep, he took off.”

“Does it show why?”

“It would appear that the storm outside was making him quite nervous, he changed quickly and all but flew out of here, Sir.”

Turning to one of the large glass windows, just in time for another bolt of lightning to rip through the sky, Tony realized why Loki had left. This was no natural storm; it was Thor.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lightning lit up the blackened sky, illuminating two figures on a hilltop above the city. Thor stood tall, in full battle armor, Mjolnir in hand, read for battle. Loki was far worse off, his side wound had reopened once again, and he was exhausted. He had been running from his brother for three nights now, the only rest he had was when he last saw Tony Stark. It hadn’t been his wish to leave the tower, a place that held relative safety for him. One hand was pressed against his side, red with blood, the other gripped his staff, using it more as something to keep him upright than a weapon.

“Why, are you doing this brother?!” Loki shouts.

Thor swung Mjolnir, winds whipping around the two gods.

“I mean to end this!” The blonde shouts, sending a bolt of lightning hurdling towards the other. Loki drags his staff up in front of him, creating a weak magical barrier with what little magic he had. The force and power of the blast sent him flying backwards, rolling across the muddied ground violently, and he came to a crashing halt a distance away.

 

Heaving a breath, Loki slowly lifted himself onto shaky arms. He was coated in blood and dirt; new burn marks had joined the others as well as various cuts and gashes. Wiping blood from his eyes he sent an icy glare towards his brother.  
“Brave words brother, if they had truly come from you. Tell me; is Odin so desperate for my death- t-that he would ask his son to kill the other…?” He said weakly.

He was still recovering from his first battle with the Guardian; left with little to no magic he was desperate. He knew that he would most likely die there tonight….

“I do what he asks brother! You are too far gone! You’ve done too much! There is no forgiveness left!” Thor shouted.

“THERE NEVER WAS!” Loki screamed, fighting the tears that wanted to escape. “There never was forgiveness, never was any love! I was the outcast! I was a stranger in my own home! How could you not see? Father never cared for me as he did you! And it was never because I wasn’t good enough! It was for what I was, that I was hated, locked away while you shone so brightly!”

Thor stopped his advances, looking at his brother, a crumpled heap on the muddied ground.

“He loved you just as much as I! There was never anything-“

“What lies he has fed you for so long!” Loki cuts in bitterly. His brother was forever blinded by his unyielding love for his father, never had he question what the old man said, following his every move like the perfect son he was.

“He stole me away, locked me in, hidden and thrown aside like a useless trinket. That was indeed what I was! Nothing more than a bargaining chip! How could you understand, when everything you’ve ever wanted, needed, desired was given to you without hesitation?! Never had his love extended to me! You acted as though you cared, but now you’re true thoughts show!” Shaking with the effort to keep himself upright he said quietly;

“I am nothing but a monster to you….”

Lifting himself up more, his features hardened.

“But this does not mean I will lie down and be executed like a common criminal!” in the flashing bolts of lightning ripping through the sky, Loki’s skin became darker, a deep icy blue and his eyes a crimson red. Finding new strength he stands up, ready to fight again.

Shocked, Thor takes a step back, never having seen Loki’s transformation. Anger welled up inside of him. His brother would challenge him, challenge the All Father?! Even Thor knew, Odin’s word was law. There would be neither redemption nor saving Loki. It was true, his brother was so far gone that he would call on his wretched heritage to win him a battle.

“Do not make this harder than it needs to be.” Thor warned.

“Oh, but I’ve never been the most cooperative creature and I interned to be very difficult.” Loki says, quickly summoning up whatever magic he had in him, he sent a blast of green energy flying towards his brother. Whilst Thor was distracted in dodging his brother’s attack, Loki brought forth the Casket of Ancient Winters. Not only could it be used by magic users like him, but the Frost Giant in him proved useful in being able to use it without draining his already scarce magical reserves.

Thor looked on in shock, witnessing for the first time his brother’s transformation. Anger welled up inside the blonde god; his brother would call upon his wretched heritage to win him a battle?!

Charging towards the other, Thor directed another charge of lightning towards the icy god, determined to follow out his father’s orders. Loki grinned as his would-be-brother approached him quickly. Focusing all his energy into the Casket he waited till Thor was close, trying to dodge the bolts of lightning flying at him. Just as Thor reached his brother he swung Mijolnir back, aiming for Loki’s chest. Loki unleashed the Caskets powers just a moment too late, Thor’s hammer connected, smashing into him. Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and then both men were blasted apart. Thor, half frozen from the Casket, was launched into the woods just beyond. Loki was sent flying down the hill, landing harshly, and rolling slightly. He laid there, close to unconsciousness, blood pooling around him as he tried to breathe as best he could. He never had expected to come out of this…. even from the start. The moment Thor had found him, he knew his fate was sealed, he only hopped he could take his wretched brother into death with him.

*~*~*~*~*

Back at Stark Tower, Tony had been pacing back and forth for over an hour.

“Jarvis, are you sure it’s not working?” He had rushed into his work room, pulling up his various holo-boards to attempt to scan for Loki’s whereabouts. Almost an hour later and he still had nothing.

“Yes Sir, I’m sure, the system is working perfictly.”

An idea came to him;

“Jarvis! Expand the area we are scanning.”

After a moment of adjustments, the holo-boards lit up with information.

“Found him!” Looking quickly from one reading to the next he quickly figured out what was going on. Thor and Loki were battling it out just beyond the city-limits and until a few moments ago where still going at it. A large spike in energy had occurred and then the readings stopped registering any magical activity.

“Jarvis, can you compare the energy scans and try to get a reading on any living persons in the area?”

Two sets of information popped up in front of him.

“Okay, okay, so Thor’s probably knocked out, I’ll send Steve out into the woods for him-”

“Sir?”

“Not now Jarvis-

“Sir!”

“What?!”

“If my readings are correct, the scanners picking up Loki Laufeyson has just dropped his signal.”

Tony felt his heart stop.

“W-what…?”

“Sir, it would seem that Loki Laufeyson is dead.”


End file.
